While most chairs or other similar articles of furniture utilize rockers to provide relaxing movement of a seated individual or individuals, glider support assemblies have also been used for many years to provide forward and rearward movement in a generally translatory manner without substantial rotation. See, for example, the carriage seat disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 26,032 which utilized this type of movement well over a hundred years ago.
Most glider support assemblies have previously been utlized with outdoor or lawn type furniture such as shown by U.S. Pats. Nos. D. 121,461, 3,994,468, and 4,108,415. However, glider support assemblies have also been utilized with upholstered furniture intended for indoor use, such as shown by U.S. Pats. Nos. 331,634, 1,210,739, 2,284,571, and 2,529,613. Antifriction bearings have been incorporated with suspension links of such glider support assemblies to facilitate forward and rearward gliding movement such as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 1,965,785.
Unlike furniture rocker assemblies which conventionally incorporate a reclined position, very few glider support assemblies have previously incorporated a reclined position in addition to providing forward and rearward gliding movement. Prior glider support assemblies which have incorporated a reclined position have all utilized a positive mechanical latching type mechanism for holding the support assembly in the reclined position such as shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 383,808, 413,150, and 2,302,387.